Retouching-desk.



Patented June 7, 1910.

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H. WEIMER.

RETOUGHING DESK. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 9.

960,462. Patented June 7, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

HENRY WEIMER, 0F TAMPA, FLORIDA.

RETOUCHING-DESK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY WEIMER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Tampa, in the county of Hillsboro and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Retouching-Desks, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable'others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The retouching desk or easel now in general use consists in most instances of a board provided with a light aperture and attached to a base or supporting board and provided with another board over head and with a support for an opaque head cloth which is thrown over the apparatus to exclude as completely as possible all the light falling on the back of the negative plate and thus form a curtain which surrounds completely the back part of the desk and the upper part of the body of the retoucher. The serious objection to this apparatus is that in excluding the light it also excludes the air and thus renders the work of retouching not only uncomfortable but also dangerous to the health of the retoucher, and it is therefore one of the objects of my invention to completely obviate this objection.

My invention has other, minor objects in view which will appear in the course of this specification.

In the drawings annexed Figure 1 is a rear perspective View with the curtain in place; Fig. 2 a front perspective view of the same; Fig. 3 a rear perspective View with the curtain detached; Fig. 4 a detail view showing the magnifying glass holder; Fig. 5 a detail section showing the tray for holding crayons etc.; Fig. 6 a'\ detail section through one end of the rock shaft carrying the reflector.

Referring to the drawings by referencecharacters a designates a board which forms the front wall of a hood-like easel or desk consisting of said front wall, a rearwardly projecting top wall 6, rearwardly projecting side walls 0 tapering downwardly and a lower narrow wall or ledge cl. Slidably mounted in a dove-tail groove in the lower face of the bottom wall (Z is a strip 0 whose upper face is roughened in a suitable manner so that it will serve as a means for sharpening pencils and be within easy reach of the retoucher. The narrow rear wall f ex- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed .Tune 23, 1909.

Patented June *7, 1910.

Serial No. 503,871.

tending across the lower end of the box or hood surface, together with the bottom wall and the front wall form a convenient receptacle for pencils and other implements used in retouching.

The front wall of the box or hood is extended upwardly above the top wall I) and is provided at its upper edge with a toothed rack g facing rearwardly. On the top wall at its rear edge is affixed a similar rack h facing upwardly. These two racks together with the top wall and the extension of the front wall form a shelf or rack for holding negative plates in course of retouching, the plates being inserted with their edges in engagement with the teeth 9 and h. It will be observed that this shelf will hold the plates safely in a vertical position and within convenient reach of the hands of the retoucher.

The desk is supported on a table 2' by a leg-structure consisting of a pair of vertical bars j clamped upon opposite sides of the desk near the upper end thereof by set screws 70, the bars being longitudinally slotted to make vertical adjustment thereof. The lower ends of these bars j are connected together by a transverse horizontal bar Z, and near their lower ends these bars are connected to the desk near the lower end thereof by horizontal bars m, the rear ends of these bars being clamped to the side walls by set screws n and the bars being provided with slots for the purpose of adjustment. The forward ends of these bars m are clamped to the bars y by set screws 0, and these set screws also clamp in place between the bars j a rotatably adjustable rod 29 which carries the reflector plate 9.

By means of the above described legstructure the inclinations of the desk may be readily adjusted to suit the convenience of the retoucher, and by means of the rotatably adjustable shaft or rod 79, the reflector 9 may be properly adjusted.

The light opening in the main board or support is designated by the letter 1', and this opening is adapted to be reduced or enlarged in size at the will of the retoucher by means of a pair of companion plates 8 pivotally clamped by a thumb screw it to the rear or inner face of the board at a point just above the opening. These plates lie flat against each other and against the board and are each provided with a rectangular opening. By loosening the set screw these plates may be shifted laterally with respect to each other and thus decrease or enlarge the light opening.

The negative plate is intended to be supported on a horizontal bar a supported just below the light opening by a pair of depending links 0 which converge upwardly and overlap at their upper ends and are clamped against the plates 8 by means of the aforesaid set screw t. The bars or links 1: are longitudinally slotted at their upper ends where the set screw t passes through them, and their lower ends are pivotally attached to the respective ends of the supporting bar u. By this simple arrangement the plate supporting bar a may be shifted not only laterally in either direction but also vertically with respect to the light opening, it being understood that the frictional clamping action caused by the clamp screw 25 will be sufficient to hold the bars in their adjusted position and yet not be suflicient to prevent the bars being readily shifted. The said clamp screw t also serves to frictionally hold a hand-rest plate 1).

A frame is mounted in the upper part of the box and is adapted to be slid into and out of the same. This frame consists of side bars to adapted to slide between waystrips w fastened to the inner faces of the side walls at the top thereof. A set screw 3 passing through the side wall permits the frame to be clamped in its adjusted position. The frame bars 10 are connected together by a rigid bar .2, and upon this bar is removably hung a clamp a carrying a magnifying glass Z). By adjusting the frame inwardly or outwardly the magnifying glass may be properly focused. By means of the suspending hook the magnifying glass may be instantly removed whenever desired.

A pair of depending bars 0 are pivotally clamped by means of clamp screws d to the outer ends of the bars 10, and the lower ends of these bars 0 are rigidly connected together by cross-bar e, and attached to this bar 6 about midway its length is an eyeshield or hood f. An opaque curtain g is draped over .the rear side of the desk, an opening being provided at h through which projects the eye-shield f. This curtain may be attached at the points i to the outer ends of the bars to and at any other suitable points to the side walls of the desk. The shield f is adapted to exclude all side light and top light from the eyes of the retoucher while looking through the aperture it. By mounting the eye-shield f upon the depending adjustable frame composed of boards 0 and e, the shield may be adjusted to suit the convenience of the retoueher.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A retouching easel or desk consisting of a front or main board provided with a light opening, a top wall extending rearwardly therefrom at a point below its upper edge, and coacting toothed racks affixed to the top wall and to the rear face of the front wall, for the purpose set forth.

2. A. retouching desk having a front wall provided with a light opening and with side walls combined with an adjustable supporting leg-structure consisting of a pair of slotted uprights connected rigidly together at their lower ends and provided at their upper ends with longitudinal slots, clamp screws for clamping said upper ends to the side walls of the desk, a reflector supported between said uprights, and rearwardly extending bars pivotally connected to the uprights and slidingly connected to the side walls of the desk, for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with a retouching support provided with a light opening, of a pair of over-lapping plates each provided with an opening adapted to register with the light opening in the support, and means for pivotally clamping said plates to the rear face of the support at a point above the light opening.

it. In combination with a retouching support provided with a light opening, of a negative plate support consisting of a horizontal bar, a pair of supporting links pivotally attached to the ends thereof and slotted at their upper ends, and a clamp screw passing through said slots and into the support, for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination with a retouching desk having a light opening in its upright wall and having a top wall and side walls, a frame mounted in the upper part of the desk and adapted to be slid into and out of the same at a point above the light opening, of a detachable magnifying glass depending from said frame to a point in line with the light opening, for the purpose set forth.

6. In combination with a retouching desk having a light opening in its upright wall and having a top wall and side walls, a frame slidable into and out of the desk at a point above its light opening, said frame being provided with a depending portion carrying an eye shield in line with said light opening, and a light-excluding curtain draped over the open rear side of the desk and said frame and provided with an opening through which said eye shield extends.

7 In combination with a retouching desk having a light opening in its upright wall and having a top wall and side walls, a frame slidable into and out of the desk at a point above its light opening, said frame being provided with a pivotally depending portionadapted for adjustment backwardly and forwardly with respect to the light opening and carrying an eye shield, and a light-excluding curtain draped over the open rear of said desk and over said frame and its depending portion and having an opening through which the eye shield extends.

8. In combinationwith a retouching desk, a light excluding curtain draped over the rear side thereof and provided with a sight aperture, and an eye-shield or hood sur rounding said aperture and projecting rearwardly from the curtain, said curtain being free from the desk at its lower edge so that it may fall loosely around the arms of the retoucher.

9. In combination with a box-like retouching desk having an open rear side, an eyeshield or hood and means for supporting same in the rear of said box, and a light excluding curtain draped over the open rear side of said box and provided with an opening through which said eye-shield extends,

said curtain being free from the desk at its lower edge so that it may fall loosely around the arms of the retoucher.

10. In combination with a retouching desk having a light opening, a frame adjustable to and from the light opening in the desk and carrying an eye-shield or hood, and an opaque curtain draped over the desk and provided with an opening through which said eye-shield extends, for the purpose set forth, said curtain being free from the desk at its lower edge so that it may fall loosely around the arms of the retoucher.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib ing witnesses.

HENRY lVEIMER. lVitnesses EMMA bneos, L. V. SMITH. 

